Obama Speech Pushes Green Tech, Health IT

President Obama talked up his economic recovery plan Tuesday night in an unofficial State of the Union speech that also touched on green initiatives, increased research, and health information technology.

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President Obama talked up his economic recovery plan Tuesday night in an unofficial State of the Union speech that also touched on green initiatives, increased research, and health information technology.

"Over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs," Obama told members of Congress, the Supreme Court, and his Cabinet. "More than 90 percent of these jobs will be in the private sector  jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges; constructing wind turbines and solar panels; laying broadband and expanding mass transit."

"I have told each member of my Cabinet as well as mayors and governors across the country that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend," Obama said Tuesday. "And we have created a new Web site called recovery.gov so that every American can find out how and where their money is being spent."

The president stressed the need for clean energy developed by American entrepreneurs.

"We invented solar technology, but we've fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it," he said. "New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea."

The stimulus package will double the nation's supply of renewable energy in the next three years, Obama said. "We have also made the largest investment in basic research funding in American history  an investment that will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs in medicine, science, and technology."

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The new law includes $1 billion for NASA, $3 billion for the National Science Foundation, $2 billion for science research within the Department of Energy, and $220 million for research and grants at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within Commerce. It also provides $2 billion for grants that would support the manufacturing of advanced vehicle batteries and components.

"We will invest $15 billlion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America," Obama said.

The president also called for an overhaul to the nation's healthcare system, a plan that "will invest in electronic health records and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy, and save lives," he said.

Chloe Albanesius has been with PCMag.com since April 2007, most recently as Executive Editor for News and Features. Prior to that, she worked for a year covering financial IT on Wall Street for Incisive Media. From 2002 to 2005, Chloe covered technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from American University...
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